From Germany: the ‘inflated’ compression ratio of the Mercedes power unit would be worth 15 more horsepower

We await the meeting on January 22. Compression ratio of 16:0 with the engine off, ready to rise to 18:0 with the engine ‘hot’: the teams have yet to reveal the 2026 F1 cars, but at a regulatory level there is already a tug-of-war between the teams due to a potential gray area of ​​the regulations exploited by Mercedes during the design phase. On January 22nd the FIA ​​together with all the motorists will take stock of the situation. Ferrari, Audi and Honda – Red Bull has remained neutral – have already sent a letter to the FIA ​​in which they ask to ban this engine, invoking point 1.5 of the technical regulations which underlines that the cars must be fully compliant at all times during the competition. The German newspaper Auto Motor und Sport quantified the competitive advantage estimated at 15 horsepower from the possible compression ratio of the thermal V6 engine ‘inflated’ to 18:0 instead of 16:0. For now the Federation does not seem willing to intervene immediately on the regulation, but it is not certain that the regulations will be tightened during the current season. Everything will depend on a possible clear supremacy of the Mercedes power unit which also equips McLaren, Williams and, from this year, Alpine.